26. Kate
Kate
It was right there. On the tip of my tongue. All of it. The truth, laid bare.
I’m the ghost behind the shell companies beating him to key parcels of land.
That the inside connections at town hall, the stalled permits, the mysteriously blocked expansions? That’s me. All me.
I thought I’d tell him here, in this sacred spot. Where everything started.
But Brett’s sarcasm, the moment broken by jokes and potty breaks, shattered the fragile peace in my chest.
So I didn’t.
Instead, I laced my fingers through Michael’s and we hiked back down. His grip was firm, steady. Grounding me. Reminding me why this is going to hurt like hell when it all blows up.
He had to get back to work. It’s Tuesday, and high rollers are already landing—some chartered in by yacht, others by private jet.
“We need a new airport,” Brett muttered behind us.
My head snapped. The land they want to build that on? I own it.
The reason they can’t track down my office, can’t figure out who’s been the stone in their shoe… is me.
I bite my lip.
Michael leans in and whispers, “Baby… are we good?”
I nod, heart racing.
“Stay with me tonight,” he asks.
“Where? Your casino?”
“Please?” His voice softens. “I have a suite at the hotel while the penthouse’s getting redone.”
“Can Amber come? I can’t leave her.”
“Of course.”
He kisses me then—passionately, desperately—as if trying to make up for all the unspoken words still between us.
“The new Italian opera sensation is performing a private show tonight in the VIP lounge,” he murmurs against my lips. “It’ll be a long night, but you’ll be entertained. Be on my arm?”
“Okay,” I whisper.
Brett grabs the Jeep keys before I can even think about it. “I’m not sitting in the back with that dog,” he grumbles.
Amber barks from behind him like she agrees. I can’t help it—I laugh. Maybe everything is about to collapse, but for now, we’re heading toward something that feels real.
Even if it’s built on secrets.